December 19, 2008

To E-Card Or Not To E-Card: The Digital Divide Hits the Holiday Season

‘Tis the season where even Santa has to think about tightening his belt and yes, reducing his carbon bootprint. Washington law firms have found a way to spread holiday cheer without hurting the bottom line or the environment: the electronic greetings card, sending seasonal wishes to clients around the globe with a single click.

“It supports our green initiative as well as making it economical for the firm from a printing standpoint,” says Steptoe & Johnson’s spokesman Scott Meek, who estimates the firm sent between 30,000 and 40,000 e-cards worldwide this year. “Plus you don’t have to burn fossil fuels for shipping and postage.”

It's the first year the firm has gone "all electronic." Steptoe’s e-card offers flash animation, the sound of jingle bells and a plump, red-hearted snowman designed by Andrea Nobles, a second grader from Scott Montgomery Elementary School in D.C.

A small and entirely unscientific survey carried out by the BLT found that other Washington firms have followed the trend. Clients can expect to see e-cards arriving in their in-boxes from Patton Boggs, Hogan & Hartson and Covington & Burling. “[It’s] primarily environmental, but economic and logistical factors also played a role in our decision,” says Hogan spokeswoman Alissa Crouse.

But, as with blackberries, blogging and social networking, there are still those who prefer the old ways. Both Hogan and Covington are offering a small number of paper cards for those lawyers for whom the whizzbang of digital will never replace the personalized touch of old-fashioned pen and ink.